A keen rambler and businessman was so disappointed with the condition of a hilltop memorial, he agreed to fund a replacement.

Matthew Kendall, who was brought up in Stacksteads, was dismayed at the state of Edwin Waugh's memorial and even carried the new memorial up the hill on his back.

Since 1866, Waugh - a Lancashire dialect writer and poet - has had a well dedicated to him on the moors between Cowpe and Edenfield.

Alongside Waugh’s Well, an information board was placed near the remains of Fo’ Edge Farm.

This was a location where Waugh, who was born in Rochdale, would spend many happy hours writing.

The remote memorial, which is on the Rossendale Way, overlooks Scout Moor High Level Reservoir and is in the shadow of Scout Moor Wind Farm and Cragg Quarry.

Mr Kendall said: "The information board was next to the ruins of the old farm and I remember seeing it in 2010.

"Although the information was all there, the bottom section of the frame had dropped off.

"Then, on New Year’s Day 2022, on a return visit I saw that half of the board was missing.”

When he decided to get it replaced, he contacted the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society as well as the landowners United Utilities.

It took around 12 months to get the wording approved and Matthew kept it as true to the original board as possible, but added a more detailed map and a QR code that links straight to the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society website.

Chris Pilling from Crawshawbooth kindly finished the board off by framing it for free.

Mr Kendall said: “In July, I went up with John Pye, publicity officer of the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society, and Graham Barnes, whose father used to be the reservoir warden when they lived at Fo’ Edge Farm.

"He had a wealth of knowledge about the area.

“When the sign was ready in August, I drove as far as I could in my 4x4, then strapped the large sign to my back and hiked the rest of the route.

“I have always been a keen rambler and I am pleased to see the sign back where it should be.

"I did wonder how long it would be before someone spotted it – and then along came a dad with his son and they were reading it.

“What matters most to me is that the sign is back and now people can learn all about Edwin Waugh and his important works.”